it's just us. gwen: it feels like we've been having this argument now for several weeks but only this week the president and his folks decide really to engage. why? >> well, time was running out. the pastor from gainesville had made it clear he was going to start burning books at 6:00 on saturday night on the night, anniversary of the 9/11 attack. demonstrations had already begun in afghanistan on thursday and u.s. officials were quite concerned about force protection there and other places in the far southwest asia. and then the pastor let it be known if someone called him and asked him and invited him to stand down that he might do so, if someone from the government and the white house saw its opportunities and bob gates put in a phone call and he has desisted for the moment. this was not a constitutional question about protected speech. though a lot of people law that around. you can burn books in this country, you can burn flags. you can burn draft cards. >> why are you looking at me? >> i don'